Warner Bros. Discovery has taken significant steps to consolidate its streaming services, leading to the Cartoon Network Shut Down. The once-popular site, which hosted episodes from series like Teen Titans GO! and Steven Universe, now redirects visitors to the stream street offered by the Max streaming service.
In a message on the redirected page, viewers are encouraged to sign up for Max to continue enjoying Cartoon Network content. However, the channel will still be available to cable subscribers through traditional television and connected apps.
This move isn’t isolated. Warner Bros. Discovery has also decided to close the website for Boomerang, the channel dedicated to classic cartoons. Boomerang is slated to cease operations entirely on September 30, with all its content migrating to Max on the same day.
These changes are part of a broader reorganization within WarnerMedia, which began in March 2019. At that time, various subsidiaries and brands, including Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Otter Media, and Boomerang, were brought together under the “Global Kids & Young Adults” unit.
Further streamlining occurred in April 2021, when WarnerMedia combined the adult animation development teams of Adult Swim and HBO Max, with Suzanna Makkos appointed as the executive vice president overseeing original comedy and adult animation for both platforms.
Notably, Cartoon Network’s shared channel space with Adult Swim remains intact. Adult Swim continues to air programming blocks like Toonami and Toonami Rewind, which are primarily focused on anime. Originally launched on Cartoon Network in 1997, Toonami has become a staple of Adult Swim’s lineup since its inception in 2003.
